By Tashi Tsering
Dharamshala: Planning Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration organised a seminar yesterday to raise awareness about China’s water diversion plans and projects in Tibet.
The keynote speaker at the seminar was Tashi Tsering, Director of Environment and Development Programme, Tibet Justice Centre based in America.
He spoke on the issues relating to the construction of dams, and diversion of rivers in Tibet and China and their social, economic and environmental impacts.
“China has the world’s largest water construction industry. It has already built more than 22,000 large dams and undertaken more than a million water diversion projects of all sizes.”
“There is a considerable increase in the construction of dams in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham (incorporated into Sichuan) and other parts of Tibet displacing thousands of people and affecting the ecological balance in the region”.
“The current dam construction trend on the Tibetan Plateau may only be the tip of an iceberg. Tibet is being presented as the ‘Water Tower of China’ and many large-scale projects, such as the Western Route of the South-North Water Diversion Project, are being planned to dam and divert Tibet’s precious water resources.”
During the seminar, he presented his views on the intent of PRC to go ahead with the mega hydro-power projects and possible avenues that could help stop some of these projects.
“There is a growing concern among the Chinese people regarding the construction of big dams as evidenced by the growing resistance shown by the people, environmental activists and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) within China”, he said.
Present at the seminar were representative from Kashag, Security Department, Enviroment and Development Desk of Department of Information and International Relations, all the staff of the Planning Commission and media reporters.
